My only travel goal left to be completed this year is a cruise with our youngest son and his fiancee who will be known as YS and SF respectively on the blog. It will complete our mission of taking all five of our “kids” on a cruise. The itinerary and ship for this last one is Western Caribbean on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam.
It’ll be my 26th cruise (yes I love them) but still is exciting in many ways.
Cruise Line
I haven’t sailed on Holland America in four years and it’s been even longer for my husband. He loves the Crow’s Nest for reading with a view which is one of his favorite cruise pastimes. I love the casual elegance of this brand accompanied by fantastic service.
The picture above is from my last HAL cruise on the Eurodam which is the sister ship to Nieuw Amsterdam. I think the entire group will love the BB King Blues Band, the uncrowded spaces and the dining.
Ports
This itinerary has four ports. My husband and I have been to all but the kids haven’t been to Half Moon Cay yet. Let’s break down our plans for each day.
Half Moon Cay: This is my favorite beach anywhere and for the first time I’ve rented a cabana. Seems too extravagant for two people but a great experience for four. 🙂
Besides the shaded area with an air conditioner, misting fan , table, chairs and loungers the cabana includes floats, snorkeling gear, soft drinks, veggie and fruit trays with dips and tortilla chips with guacamole and salsa.
Montego Bay, Jamaica: Although I’ve not been to this specific port, I’ve been to Jamaica a couple of times most recently during last year’s cruise with two of our other “kids”. There’s really not anything my husband and I want to do and YS and SF wanted to go to a resort for the day so we’re planning to stay onboard enjoying the empty ship while they’re off.
Grand Cayman: This was also a stop on last year’s cruise. We’ve all done stingray city so we’re going to spend the day at the beach. I’ve made reservations for loungers and umbrellas at the Royal Palms Beach Club.
Cozumel: We were just here last year but I never tire of this port stop. What’s different is that we don’t arrive until late morning and are in port until 11 pm. We have reservations at my favorite Cozumel beach club, Nachi Cocum. The kids may go back out for the evening in Cozumel while us older folks will definitely be onboard relaxing!
Travel Companions
My YS and SF have only sailed on Carnival together although we took YS on Celebrity when he was a teen. We’re excited to spend more time with our future daughter-in-law who is a delightful person.
We probably won’t see them much during the day but have assigned main seating for dinner when we can catch up and spend quality time together outside the three port days we’re experiencing.
We don’t plan to dine at any of the three specialty restaurants on board this time but rather enjoy family time, the sun and getting away!
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